ANCHORAGE – If you are in the market for a retail job, Anchorage is a great place to get hired.

Hundreds of new jobs need to be filled within the next few months. One of the first stores looking to hire is Natural Pantry.

The locally owned grocery store is moving from its long-time location in the University Mall to a brand new, much larger building in Midtown. Owner Vikki Solberg said they ‘ll need to triple their staff and are taking applications now.

Cabela’s in South Anchorage is also taking applications now, although they will only be accepted online. The store plans to open in spring 2014 and is looking to fill about 250 positions.

The Bass Pro Shop in East Anchorage could use up to 300 employees. Construction delays have pushed their opening date back until sometime this coming spring. The company plans to hold a hiring fair in the next few months.

It will take a lot of people to fill so many jobs, and state labor economist Neal Fried said competition to hire workers could be tough. He said one possible benefit to job seekers is that employers might need to offer higher wages to attract workers.

That’s good news for potential employees, he said, since retail wages tend to be low.